Kermit Weeks Tempest V Restoration Walk Around

Unloaded – including his second Napier Sabre (green) which appears to be a Mk VII vs the Mk V the black one could be (single sided entry centrifugal compressor, but no water/methanol injection). Just my observations, willing to be proved wrong 🙂 Both “modern” end of war builds ’44+ with better design features. Hmmm, corrections, Kermit has said the black engine is a IIA – an earlier engine, but that the green engine is a MkV – I stand corrected!! 🙂

That’ll keep Andy busy for a decade or three! 🙂

Photos have just been posted on Kermit Week’s Facebook page showing the Tempest V being unloaded at his facility in big “Chunks.”

Members of this this forum have been occasionally critical of Mr. Weeks’ actions in the past (over the Mosquito, Lancaster, Shorts, etc.), but you have to give him credit.
He’s spending a lot of money/time /effort resurrecting an aircraft the isn’t a glamour “star” of WWII….and doing something no one else in the UK (or the rest of the world) is prepared to do.

Well done!

Haha Andy, that alarm would have driven me nuts if I was trying to do an interview!!!

Fingers are crossed for you and your project Ian.
This has been a very interesting thread.
It is very reassuring to know that anyone breaking in to P.P.S. will not be pestered, by anyone responding to the alarm 🙂

Andy

dcollins103,

We are currently working on this idea with our Sabre. In conjunction with drawings already available, it is hoped that voids in the data can be filled using 3D scanning. Some issues at the moment are that the engine is damaged, and it is an early Sabre II with different coolant routing. Contact has been made with Mr. Weeks (some time ago) as his engine would prove the best example for scanning due to condition and mark. Time will tell how it works out, but the dream is alive!

I’d love to see you make a valid economic case for that, with a potential market for an absolute maximum of one or two other customers, more probably none.

Scanning parts 3D shape is not expensive now, and quite a prudent way of presrving a shape to refer back to should the engine suffer damage. I’d look at it as a way of protecting ones investment!

In the second youtube about the restoration of the MkV , the problem of the propellers is mentioned and I think he says he has a four blader of correct rotation , but does not know what it came from . They also say that most of the Tempest Mk 11’s come from India and that they scrapped most of their props at the end of the operational life of the airframes .

I’d love to see you make a valid economic case for that, with a potential market for an absolute maximum of one or two other customers, more probably none.

Andy Salter is now advertising on Facebook for an engine fitter to assist with a project of international interest. It is said to be a long project and not very well paid 🙂 LOL!

https://www.facebook.com/andy.salter.54?

Also see on his page in his photos, there is the bold picture of one of the Sabres – all shiny black. Comments there indicate it is his next big project.

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The image was not blocked so eds if you deem this is inappropriate, then delete, as people can follow the link and view for themselves.

I am so enthralled this is getting closer!! I have seen a couple in the museums in UK – Solent Sky has a complete engine and a cutaway MKVII? at Duxford IWM – one with water/methanol injection.

If this is the best condition sabre left in existence, then when it is stripped down, I would 3D scan every component and take note of all tolerances, material specifications, machining processes used, and casting datums before reassembling it.

I would then manufacture spare parts. This could also lead to fully new engines. In the long run this would retain the value of an airworthy Tempest, and also generate paying customers with othet Typhoon and Tempest projects.

The owner of the image Jack Abbott says – “Spot the Firefly blades” so I am guessing they are them on the floor. As far as I know, this is a new crate engine but it needs a complete strip and rebuild to verify usability – after 70 years, no wonder!! However, I am also led to believe he has a second “green” engine, condition unknown, retrieved from a UK location some time ago.

I eagerly await even the strip down and the long rebuild of this engine – what a story!!

Unfortunately, due to the very rare availability of engines, this puts the value of running the engine and the Tempest V it belongs in, into a much restricted usability, so once complete, this absolutely rare bird may fly just very rarely. But it is our hope that she does fly very proudly and to make that high revving sound again at least a few times before retirement!! I would make the journey to the US and Polk City Florida just to see and hear this event.

That Sabre looks to be in great condition 😎 Obviously been inhibited while in storage. I really never thought i’d see a Sabre engined aircraft fly until I looked at that 🙂

WOW! It really is a serious piece of kit.

Any chance those are Tempest or Typhoon blades on the floor?

Andy Salter is now advertising on Facebook for an engine fitter to assist with a project of international interest. It is said to be a long project and not very well paid 🙂 LOL!

https://www.facebook.com/andy.salter.54?

Also see on his page in his photos, there is the bold picture of one of the Sabres – all shiny black. Comments there indicate it is his next big project.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]240212[/ATTACH]

The image was not blocked so eds if you deem this is inappropriate, then delete, as people can follow the link and view for themselves.

I am so enthralled this is getting closer!! I have seen a couple in the museums in UK – Solent Sky has a complete engine and a cutaway MKVII? at Duxford IWM – one with water/methanol injection.

Hi All,
Talking of Tempest’s just been on Kermit Weeks Facebook page and watched this footage of Jack Abbots visit to Kermit’s Tempest II project at his storage facility, just look at all the stuff that’s in there…..:cool: Comments below about the video posted by Mr Weeks many thanks Kermit….:eagerness:
Here’s a clip of Jack Abbott’s visit to see our Tempest II. Jack is the godson of the gentleman who actually owned the Tempest II at the time it was in the Sky Fame Collection, and he’s been wanting to see this plane in person since he was a young boy. Jack is also currently involved in trying to get another Tempest II going.

Geoff.

Hear hear, Geoff. I agree – even if it’s “just” static or taxiable/running, it’s a remarkable restoration.

But given the enthusiasm Kermit showed in the first video, I’m quietly confident it will fly.

Hi All,
Bradburger,
Many thanks for posting Pt2 :eagerness: I am just keeping my fingers crossed that both of Kermit’s Sabre’s prove to be in good airworthy condition and he takes the difficult choice of flying this beautiful restoration. At the end of the day though even if in ground running condition the aircraft will be alive and for that we should all give Kermit and especially the team at Booker as well as all other subcontracted workers for their involvement a big pat on the back for bringing this aircraft back to life…..:applause:

Geoff.

Thanks for posting these. Really interesting to see what goes into something like this.

Part 2

Part 2 now available.

Cheers

Paul